WLYB
WLYB is a MyNetworkTV affiliate serving Rogueport, Mushroom Kingdom that is licensed to Glitzville. It broadcasts on Channel 43 and is owned by Raycom Media, as part of a duopoly with Rogueport-licensed CBS affiliate WAEL (channel 10). History Independent years The station first signed on the air on October 23, 1987; WLYB was originally owned by the Gaylord Broadcasting Company to give Rogueport viewers a new independent station after former leading independent WRPM-TV became a charter affiliate of the then-new Fox network. Originally, WLYB's schedule consisted of cartoons, syndicated off-network sitcoms, movies, religious programs, and syndicated programming that hadn't been cleared in Rogueport since WRPM affiliated with Fox. Despite this, WRPM immediately overtook WLYB in the ratings. During this time as part of Gaylord's strategy of establishing regional superstations, it almost immediately appeared on several cable systems across the Mushroom Kingdom, competing with a Toad Harbor-based independent station owned by eventual WB owner Turner Broadcasting System, WNTV (now an NBC owned-and-operated station). The station was dropped from most cable providers outside Rogueport in the 1990s as those communities established WB affiliates with market exclusivity, and is now mostly no longer seen outside the Rogueport market. On August 14, 1990, Gaylord sold WLYB to Cannell Broadcasting, headed by actor/writer/director Stephen J. Cannell. Though the station performed adequately in the ratings under Cannell ownership, the company was unable to overtake WRPM. On September 5, 1994, Malrite Communications, owner of CBS affiliate WAEL (channel 10), entered into a local marketing agreement with Cannell, which retained ownership of WLYB, though the station was now managed in tandem with WAEL. During its waning years as an independent station, WLYB was the Rogueport home of the various Star Trek series (Deep Space Nine was in production then) from Paramount Television, and also carried the Action Pack (which aired on WLYB from 1994 until 1997) and Prime Time Entertainment Network. WB affiliation On January 11, 1995, WLYB became a charter affiliate of The WB Television Network (co-owned by Time Warner and Tribune Broadcasting). When the Federal Communications Commission began allowing television duopolies in 2000, Raycom purchased channel 43 outright on May 10 of that year. The Block In the spring of 2002, WLYB rebranded itself to 43 The Block (while WAEL underwent a similar makeover to become WAEL 10). The Block was phased out in 2005 for WB 43 and later My 43. In 2005, WLYB began carrying The Tube Music Network on digital subchannel 43.2; the network ceased operations on October 1, 2007. MyNetworkTV affiliation On January 24, 2006, the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner and CBS Corporation announced that the two companies would decrease their emphasis on The WB and UPN and combine most of the networks' respective programming to create a new network called The CW, which would launch on September 18, 2006. Nearly one month after the CW launch announcement, on February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced the launch of a new network of it's own called MyNetworkTV, to affiliate with stations left out of The CW's affiliation deals. WLYB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 43, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal continued to broadcasts on its pre-transition UHF channel 50. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 43. On March 7, 2006, six days after competitor WRXT signed a deal to affiliate with The CW, WLYB was announced as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV, along with a small number of other Raycom Media-owned stations. On July 14, 2006, WLYB began using its new on-air logo (which was based on MyNetworkTV's logo scheme), and began branding as My 43, WLYB in its promos and legal identifications in anticipation of the launch of MyNetworkTV. On August 24, 2015, WLYB reverted back to an updated version of it's former "The Block"-era logo, though with the "my" from the MyNetworkTV default imaging added to the left of the script-texted "43". Digital television Digital channels WLYB began broadcasting in the 720p high definition format after the station switched its affiliation from The WB to MyNetworkTV in September 2006. The 10 p.m. newscast airing on WLYB is also broadcast in 720p, even though WAEL itself produces its newscasts in the 1080i format commonly used by CBS affiliates. Programming Outside of the MyNetworkTV schedule, syndicated programming on WLYB includes Jerry Springer, Maury, Extra, Inside Edition, TMZ on TV. Occasionally, WLYB may air CBS network programs whenever sister station WAEL is unable to in the event of extended breaking news or severe weather coverage, a scheduled local special, or other scheduling conflicts. Current Programming Schedule Newscasts As of September 2017, WLYB broadcasts 63½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 10½ hours on weekdays, six hours on Saturdays and five hours on Sundays), all of which are produced by sister station WAEL. In addition, WLYB also produces the sports wrap-up program Sports Extra which airs nightly during the final 15 minutes of the 10:00 p.m. newscast. Under Gaylord ownership, WLYB formed a news department. The station debuted an hour-long late evening newscast, The Ten O'Clock News, on January 4, 1988. WAEL now manages WLYB's news department, and produces the nightly 10:00 p.m. newscast under the title WAEL 10 News on My43 The Block. WAEL began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on October 21, 2007; the prime time newscast on WLYB was included in the upgrade. On May 16, 2011, WLYB debuted an hour-long weekday morning newscast airing from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m., as an extension of WAEL's WAEL 10 News This Morning. As of September 21, 2015, WLYB expanded its evening newscasts on weekdays into a three-hour block from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m., with the addition of a two-hour-long newscast in the former timeslot. As a result of the expansion of its evening news programming, the station shifted the MyNetworkTV programming lineup out of prime time, moving it to 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. each weeknight. The following year, WLYB debuted 6:30 and 7 PM newscasts, and as of 2017, has added a two-hour-long newscast at 10 AM and hour-long newscasts at 1 and 3 PM. Category:Raycom Media Category:Channel 43 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1987 Category:MyNetworkTV affiliated stations Category:Rogueport Category:Mushroom Kingdom Category:Former independent stations Category:Former Independent stations Category:Former WB affiliates Category:Former WB network affiliates